Power system



POWER SYSTEM Filed may 11, 3 shee-weet 1 Lamme Feb. 9 1,926'.

P. BURKE POWER SYSTEM 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed may 11, 1925 under-the influence of its iilever 78 arm of which is connected by a link 89 with V,the lower end of the operatorfs lever al.

With this construction, when theoperator moves control lever 4l from the` dotted line position to the full line position shown in Fig. 2, to throw out the digging clutch, that end of the control-lever 79 associated with the` link 87 will be swung,r upwardly to the full line position shown in l"ig.:2, the lever then pivotin on the piston rod 86 with the result that tie' lever 47 associated with the link 78 will be swung upwardly, closing ott' the fuel supply valve 64, and after a slight interval moving the lever 73 to engage the stem of the valve to open the same against the action of the spring 7l, whereby. this cylinder of the Aengine no longer functions as an engine but functions as an air compressor, the inlet valve of the engine opening to permit the piston to draw air into the cylinder, and both inlet and 4 exhaust valves being closed on the compression strokes so that the piston on this stroke forces air through the then open port 66 past the check valve 69 tothe receiver 51, this condition being brought about referaoly only during such times as the igging clutch is lthrown outu Thus, the cylinder is operatin as an air compressor and will continue to do so under the conditions above described until the receiver pressure reaches u predetermined maximum value at which timel this hi her` pressure acts on the piston 84 to move 1t downwardly, opposed by the spring pressure 85 to the position siown in Fig. 3, with the result that the end of` the lever 79, associated with the piston 84, is moved downwardly and the block is lowered half of its possible vertical travel in the slot 81 and allowing valve 65 to close spring 7l, the meanwhile having approached its limiting sto'p 73 on bracket 7 5, and the lever 77'loeing also moved to open the fuel valve 64. Thus, the engine is now in a condition to function as an engine.

W hen the receiver pressure is low and the digging clutch is engaged, the lever 79 assumes the position shown. in Fig. 4L, the left -hand being high and the right hand end low, the trunnion block 8O boing then in the saine .position as shown in Fig. with the result that the same effect upon the cylinder is produced, that is, it functions as an en gine.

`When the receiver pressure is at a` manimum or high pressure and the digging clutch is engaged, the floating lever 79 assumes the position shown in Fig. 10, with both ends in lowered position so that the trnnnion block 8O is also low. The slot in link 78 Iis of sutiicient'length to allow the block 80 to pass freely downward and the stop 73 acting on lever 73 and through link 76 and lever Z7 prevent further downward movement of the link 78.

From the foregoing it will be noted that I have provided a power system'.` more particularly for an excavator, in which the multicylinder internal combustion engine `may function as an engine and one 4or. more of the cylinders of which may `function as a l compresso'rto supply air to a receiver, with control mechanism associated with the receiver, and with the control lever of the digging clutch, whereby the compression action of the engine, when functioning as a compressor, is controlled so that it ceases to function as a compressor when maximum compression conditions exist in the receiver and will be brought into action. when a predetermined low pressure exists in the receiver, and Where its functioning as a compressor is made available through the throwing out of the digging clutch, that is, at such tinieswhen the maxinuun power of the engine 1s not required,

and where this control through the digging clutch will not act to have thc engine func tion as a compressor if the airin the receiver itself is at a maximum or higher pressure. Thus, the engine is made to produce a stored up quantity of compressed air which is used as desired in the swinging engine 16 and in the boom engine 43, and such other power equipment as the machine may be provided with for auxiliary work. ith such construction the power of the engine may he augmented at such times as necessary by the operation of the boom engine through the stored up energy' of the compressed air in the receiver. and there is obviously a saving` in fuel eil'ccted through the cuttingr out `of the engine action of certain of the cylinders while operating the auxiliary tuuiipuu-nt which would otherwise require power that would be generated b v all the cylinders even running under reduced load.

lVhile I have described this invention with partcula bustion engine of the fuel iniection type, it is to be understood thatany other suitable internal combustion engine niav be used and that the invention is not to be limited to the specitic forni or arrangenient of parts herein set forth except in so far as such limitations are included in the claims or necessitated by the prior art.

`What l claim as my invention is:

l. ln an excavator, the combination with a multicylinder` internal combustion engine constituting the main power-producing unit, of mechanism receiving power direct from said internal combustion engine, control reference to an internal com`A said compressor means if; 1mm-m2,

producing umili @im machme@ mechanism, @cimmed my said angine, ma conta-ol heieor, o? mams gmt :3x1 one. of he cynders mi this mu' wered from said 'cyliman my between 55mg a'esrvmr and im.' :farming said cynder to functiml having sf. mixaynder Timm/m enigme-:3.5 the main wiz) 

